How I saw 5 national parks in Utah in 48 hours

Capitol Reef National Park was the third of five stops on the author's weekend trip to Utah.
(Photo: Wolfgang Staudt/flickr)

A couple of weeks ago, I set out to conquer Utah’s Mighty 5: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands — the five national parks in Utah — and I was
determined to see them all in a single weekend.

When people found out I was doing this, I was usually met
with one of two responses. They either thought I was crazy — after all, you
could easily spend 48 hours or more in each of these parks — or they were
amazed and intrigued by my ambition.

So how did I do it? What were the highlights? I kept a
journal along the way. Take a look!

Friday, 2 p.m.

I just landed in Vegas. While most people are gearing up to
hit the casinos, I can’t wait to get my rental car and start driving to
Zion National Park. I
have to be honest, I'm having a slight moment of panic. Am I just a poser? Am I
really driving hundreds of miles by myself into the middle-of-nowhere Utah? I
shove all these doubts out of my mind. I have to get going if I want to have
time to explore Zion before sunset.

Friday, 7 p.m.

The steep, rocky landscape is no hassle for these bighorn sheep at Zion National Park in Utah. (Photo: Tom Tietz/Shutterstock)

Zion is gorgeous and the perfect way to kick off my journey.
Here I am at Canyon Overlook, right as the sun is about to set. Just up the
canyon, I can see a small herd of bighorn sheep. So cool! The next time I’m
here, I want to do the Angel’s Landing hike, but for now, I have to get going.
I’m staying at an Airbnb tonight on the way to
Bryce Canyon.

Saturday, 5 a.m.

I’m not exactly a morning person, but I have this new sense
of determination like a kid who just made the basketball team, off to the first
practice. Or like a deer with half an antler, which I happened to see early on
my drive into the canyon.

I hope this sunrise is worth it.

Saturday, 7 a.m.

Sunrise over Bryce Canyon in Utah. (Photo: Stacy Tornio)

This
sunrise at the Bryce Amphitheater is so completely worth it. I feel this
incredible sense of peace, looking out over Bryce Canyon. I know it sounds cliché, but I don’t know if I can find the words to describe it. This is
one the most beautiful nature scenes I’ve ever witnessed.

Saturday, 10 a.m.

The hoodoos and forest mix together in Bryce Canyon National Park. (Photo: AngMoKio/Wikimedia Commons)

After sunrise, I do a couple of short hikes in the park and
do a little bird-watching. Then I come back to the Bryce Amphitheater to bid it
goodbye. I try to burn it into my memory as much as possible. I can’t wait to
come back.

Saturday, 2 p.m.

Capitol Reef National Park has about 3,100 trees in its orchards, including cherry, apricot, peach, pear, apple, plum, mulberry, almond and walnut, according to the National Park Service. (Photo: Stacy Tornio)

I’m now in Capitol Reef National Park, picking apples and
peaches in the public orchard, open to the public. This gives a whole new
meaning to the lyrics, “This land is your land. This land is my land.” By the
way, the drive between Bryce and Capitol Reef was the most scenic, beautiful
drive I’ve ever taken in my life. Best of all, I had no cell service. It was
just nature and me.

Saturday, 7 p.m.

The perfect end to a long day of visiting parks. (Photo: Stacy Tornio)

I’m in Moab, Utah, for the night, and I just found one of the
only full-service bars in town. Hello, margarita!

I didn’t quite make it for sunrise, but here I am, looking at
the famous
Delicate Arch at
Arches National Park. It’s just as impressive as
you’d hope it would be.

Sunday, 9 a.m.

The author before her Double O Arch hike. (Photo: Stacy Tornio)

I’m off to do the Double O Arch hike. Some of the trail is
listed as “primitive.” Not gonna lie — I’m starting to feel more like a real
adventurer today.

Sunday, noon

The wind was strong at this point during the Double O Arch hike. (Photo: Stacy Tornio)

The hike was everything a hike should be — challenging, a bit
mysterious, slightly scary in parts, and the most killer views. While up on
this group of boulders, I felt like the wind was going to blow me away. It was
like that scene in "Titanic," minus the whole ship, ocean and guy holding onto
you thing.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t like "Titanic" at all. It was way
better.

Sunday, 2 p.m.

Canyonlands National Park in Utah was carved by the Colorado River. (Photo: Stacy Tornio)

Here I am at my fifth park — Canyonlands National Park — exactly
48 hours from when I landed in Vegas. As I stand at the top of the canyons looking down at the Green River, I can’t help but think of the Edward Abbey
quote I’d read earlier that day: “May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome,
dangerous, leading to the most amazing views.” Well said, Mr. Abbey.

When I started this solo journey, I didn’t know what to
expect. In fact, I tried really hard not to expect anything — I just wanted to
enjoy nature and be in the moment. Maybe I didn’t solve any of the world’s
problems while I was out there or have any great epiphanies, but it was truly
one of the most epic trips I’ve ever done.

Cheryl Strayed, the author of "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail," once wrote, “I realized there was nothing to do but go, so I
did.”

While I’ll never claim to be as adventurous and awesome and
genius as her, those words definitely resonate with me. You see, it’s easy to
talk yourself out of things or find reasons not to go on adventures. Time and
money are often the two biggest culprits. But you know what? Sometimes you just
have to up and go.